The distant sound of the wind passing through the trees was all Lucas Tanaka could hear as he admired the imposing Brighton CT just in front of him.
The place was packed, with a large flow of people at the entrance. Youngsters with soccer bags slung over their shoulders and even a few anxious parents who seed more nervous than their own children.
It took Lucas a few steps before his nervousness was replaced by excitent once and for all. As he crossed the gates, Lucas was imdiately struck by the magnitude of the crowd. Groups of young people crowded into the many fields, so wearing uniforms, others still in casual clothes.
'Everyone in this place has a common goal: to be noticed. Lucas thought.
Still a little lost, Lucas tried to figure out where he should go. He looked around, but there were no clear signs indicating where he should go to register or confirm his invitation. It was then that he spotted a huge queue stretching along a side corridor. It snaked around one side of the building, with young people chatting and fiddling with their cell phones as they waited.
'That must be it.' thought Lucas.
Without wasting any ti, he joined the queue. He glanced at his watch: there was just over an hour until the start of the selection, and the place was only getting fuller. The sound of voices grew louder as more young people crowded around the CT, like an anthill in full swing.
'I thought there would only be a few players invited. At least that's what Otsuka made understand...'
After a few minutes, the queue slowly moved forward, and he found himself next to a pile of tables with several sign-up sheets stacked on them. Behind one of the desks, sitting on a chair with wheels, was a girl who definitely stood out from the other employees.
Her hair was dyed bright pink, tied in two buns on top of her head, and she wore a T-shirt with the logo of Brighton Hove Albion Football Club, the city's team. The contrast between her hair and the blue sports uniform was striking, and her face, although young, bore the bored expression of soone who wasn't enjoying doing it very much.
"Next!" she said, without even lifting her eyes from the tablet in her hand.
Lucas stepped forward. "Hi. I... I'm here for the test. I think I need to sign up?" He spoke in English.
The pink-haired girl finally looked up at him, her extrely green eyes quickly assessing him. She typed sothing into her tablet and raised an eyebrow.
"Na?" she asked bluntly.
"Lucas Tanaka."
She typed a few more things and, for a mont, seed to concentrate on the screen. "Age?"
"Sixteen."
"Position?"
"Any position in the Attack."
"Versatile striker..." She said as she wrote down exactly what she'd said on her tablet. "You don't look like you're from here. Were you invited by a Brighton FC official to this screening?"
"Yes, by Mr. Otsuka. I'm from Japan."
The girl looked surprised, although she hid it well. She typed sothing into the tablet, then slid a piece of paper towards Lucas. "Sign this. It's a disclair. If you get hurt, you can't complain."
He took the pen and signed quickly. When she had finished, she handed him a badge with his na and a number printed on it.
"Keep the badge with you while you're not on the pitch and, after changing in one of the changing rooms, put the number on your chest. Both will be used for identification. You're in group E and you'll be called up when the trials start," she said, pointing to a field on the right.
"Thanks," said Lucas, as he took the badge and hung it around his neck. He was about to turn and follow, when the girl added in a less formal tone.
"Good luck there. They don't take it easy on foreigners."
Soon, the pink-haired girl was already calling out to the next in line, her voice sounding distant as he crossed the gravel path towards the CT fields.
Brighton's training center was huge, and Lucas felt that every step was taking him closer to what could be the defining mont of his life. In Japan, his na had already begun to gain prominence in school competitions, but this was another level. This was England, the ho of modern soccer, and there, in that very place, he was surrounded by young people with the sa dream.
If he couldn't win a place, he hoped he could at least copy soone's skill.
When he reached the changing room, Lucas pushed open the heavy steel door. Inside, the atmosphere was simple, with wooden benches lined up against the walls and tal hangers where the players hung their clothes. Gray lockers occupied one of the corners, where so of the youngsters were already storing their belongings.
Lucas found an empty space on one of the benches and began to change. He removed his shirt and, as he did so, he heard whispers and sighs around him. At first, he thought it was just the natural nervousness of the other boys, but when he looked around, he saw that so of them were staring at him with expressions of surprise.
"Dude, are you a professional athlete?" One of the boys, who was wearing a normal sports shirt, asked, his eyes wide.
Lucas looked at him, a little confused, until he realized that the question wasn't completely out of place. He realized that, over the last two weeks, his muscles had changed a lot. His abdon was sculpted into firm chunks, his arms were more defined, and his shoulders were broad and well-marked.
He had never consciously noticed this - training with the system had beco so much a part of his routine that the changes were happening almost imperceptibly to him.
"N-no... I guess I just trained a lot." Lucas replied, still surprised by the question.
"I know. Well, let's hope I'm as lucky one day." The boy said.
Another boy approached, apparently curious. "Where did you train? You look like you ca from a youth team."
Lucas shook his head. "Japan. I played for a school team."
"Wow, you're from Japan? I thought there were only Europeans here..." The boy smiled, clearly impressed. "You speak English very well."
"Thanks. I practiced a lot." Lucas smiled back, trying to keep the conversation light, despite the unwanted attention. 'How sociable people are around here...'
Lucas concentrated on finishing putting on the uniform Brighton had provided. He put on the new boots his parents had given him before the tournant and felt confident. Finally, he looked at the clock hanging on the wall. There was still a long ti before the tests started, but he wanted to move quickly and find a ball to warm up in a corner.
When Lucas ca out of the changing room, he was greeted by a breath of cold, wet wind that made him shiver for a second. He looked around, the training pitches stretched vast ahead, each bounded by low fences and lampposts.
Lucas still had so ti before the tests began, but he wanted to warm up, loosen up his body and mind. He needed to be in top physical and ntal shape. He walked towards the pitches, looking for a ball, sothing he could kick to start his warm-up. However, as his eyes road the grounds, he found no ball available.
'No problem. I can warm up without a ball.'
He moved a little away from the main flow of people, looking for a quieter space near one of the CT's walls. There, he began to stretch his legs, first holding his right ankle and then bending his leg backwards, keeping his balance on one foot. Opening his eyes, Lucas began to make more dynamic movents, running in place for a few seconds.
Then he began to do small jumps, raising his knees to his chest, alternating his legs, and then doing a few twists with his arms to loosen up his joints.
As he ward up, his ears picked up the growing sound of voices. The commotion in the CT was growing, and a crowd began to form near one of the fields.
Lucas looked in the direction of the movent. Young people were gathering around the main field, where a small platform had been set up. In the center of it, a man in a dark blue sports suit, who looked to be in his thirties, was climbing the steps with a clipboard in one hand and a gaphone in the other.
As he stepped onto the makeshift stage, he looked at the crowd for a mont before raising the loudspeaker.
"All hands, please! In a few minutes, we'll start the call for the physical tests. Each group will be directed to a specific field, where instructors and examiners will be accompanying you. You have already been separated into groups, as you know, and each group will be called in order to line up and begin the exercises."
The man continued speaking, listing the activities the players would face during the test.
"First, we'll do a fitness assessnt: running, endurance, flexibility. Then we'll move on to ball tests: control, dribbling and finishing. Finally, we'll have a series of short gas where you can demonstrate your skills in real ga situations. However, each of these stages will be eliminatory."
At that mont, a buzz began to spread through the crowd of participants. Many of them questioned whether a fitness test could be eliminatory even before the ball tests.
"To those of you who are questioning our examination, you can take your things and leave if you like. You're all here because you wanted to be professional footballers, right? So an exemplary physique is the minimum."
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Player na: Lucas Tanaka
Star Level: 4 - 0 SP/ 250 SP to the next level*
Balance: 300 credits.
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[Attributes]
Speed: 30
Shooting: 34
Dribbling: 25
Defense: 18
Physical: 35
Passing: 33
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[Talents]
Ball Control: 0
Endurance: 0
Strength: 0
Heading: 5
Scoring: 0
Vision: 0 Continue your journey on empire
Positioning: 0
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Mystical Skills: ; ; ; ; ; ;
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Soccer Skills: ; ; ; ;
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